Kokoro Connect Volume 10: Asu Random Part 2

By Sadanatsu Anda and Shiromizakana

The Cultural Research Club has entered the Isolation Zone, where «The Third»’s group has inflicted dozens of phenomena on more than a hundred innocent Yamaboshi students. Now the CRC is tasked with helping all of them cross the finish line—but can they really manage ALL these people on their own? As tensions rise, the threat of an emergency shutdown looms just overhead... Experience the thrilling conclusion to the final arc of the hit ensemble dramedy light novel from award-winning author Sadanatsu Anda!

• Language: English
• Publisher: J-Novel Club
• Release date: Sep 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781718326187

Book preview

This is not the real world.

This is an isolated space.

And yet, it’s functionally no different.

This is not the real world—but it’s still a world in its own right.

Chapter 1: The Other Side

The first thing he felt was intense disgust. Everything felt off in a deeply unpleasant way—as though his whole body was melted into a viscous liquid and then flushed down the drain.

His mind was fuzzy, and he couldn’t think straight. It was dark, and cold, and his eyes wouldn’t focus.

Where am I?

He could feel something hard and immovable, uneven and gritty, pressed against his hands, his arms, his legs, his cheek. It was the ground.

I’m lying on the ground?

Suddenly, the fog cleared from his mind. Using both hands, he pushed himself up onto his knees, then sprang to his feet.

Next he squeezed his eyes shut tightly... and slowly opened them once more.

Yaegashi Taichi was standing in front of Yamaboshi High School in the middle of the night, looking up at the main building from the athletic field. Through the windows, he could see lights on in several of the classrooms.

Then he turned and looked over his shoulder. Outside the school gates, everything appeared to be perfectly normal... though it still felt a bit surreal to be on campus at night.

A sudden realization occurred to him, and he started to brush himself off. After lying facedown on the ground, surely his clothes were filthy—

What the...?

And yet his overcoat remained perfectly spotless. Next he checked his back, then his legs, but couldn’t find any dirt. How was such a thing possible, when he was apparently sprawled out on the athletic field for some indeterminate amount of time? And for another thing, why was he sprawled out on the athletic field? What was he doing here...?

Then a sharp, burning pain rose up the back of his skull, almost like an electric shock. He clutched his head, fighting the heat and pain. Now he remembered:

That’s right!

«Heartseed» had transported him here, to the place it referred to as the Isolation Zone.

Wait, but what makes me so sure this is ACTUALLY the Isolation Zone? It doesn’t LOOK like an alternate reality... so how did I know?

Sickening as it was, some part of him had believed it with certainty. Why? Was it more of «The Third»’s hypnotherapy, brainwashing all who entered in order to streamline the experiment?

Either way, he wasn’t going to find the answer by just standing around. Instead, he needed to investigate his surroundings.

Where is everyone...?

A chill settled over his heart. Just moments ago he was surrounded by his fellow clubmates, and yet he couldn’t see a single other person out here on the athletic field with him. No Nagase Iori, no Inaba Himeko, no Kiriyama Yui, no Aoki Yoshifumi, no Enjouji Shino, no Uwa Chihiro.

Wasn’t «Heartseed» supposed to send them all to the Isolation Zone together?

Did it only send me...?

Or was he the only person left behind in the real world? Neither option appealed to him.

He took off running towards the school building. The first few steps didn’t cover much ground, but soon he hit his stride. If the lights were on, then surely someone had to be in there.

He couldn’t hear anything except the rustle of his coat, the crunch of his footsteps, and the sound of his own breathing. The field was dark and vast, and in his mind, it felt endless—like he might never reach his destination. Nevertheless, he ran.

Maybe he was cut off from the rest of the world. Maybe he was all alone in the darkness. He came here to fight, and yet his body was filled with fear.

What happened? What’s going on? Where am I? He didn’t know. His panic was building... and with it, his terror was building, too...

Just then, he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye—

Gah!

Hastily, he hit the brakes. Likewise, the figure stopped short. He hadn’t noticed them approaching until they were nearly on top of him; evidently he’d been too focused on the school building directly ahead.

Taichi squinted through the darkness at the shadowy presence standing more than ten meters away. Her long hair fluttered in the gentle breeze. Her skin sparkled like the moon, and even from a distance, he could tell she had a great figure.

Wait...

N-Nagase?!

Taichi?!

It was Nagase Iori, president of the Cultural Research Club and resident jokester.

Christ, am I glad to see you.

I’m so glad I found you! Holy crap! I thought I was alone out here!

Evidently her experience here was similar to his. She dashed over to him at full speed.

Whoa, hey, slow down! Am... Am I supposed to catch you or what?!

Taaaake... THIS!

She stopped short right in front of him and karate-chopped him in the side.

Gah! ...Where the heck did that come from...?

Oh, sorry! Everyone was gone, and I was convinced I was all alone out here on the athletic field, and I was starting to get really scared, so I was planning to go into the school building, but then I spotted you, and I was like ‘YAY!’ so I ran right over, and I was gonna leap into your arms, but then I remembered you have a girlfriend, so I decided to compromise with a karate chop!

You make no sense. Anyway, I’m glad we found each other. I was starting to get spooked out here, myself.

insert1

You too, huh? Did you wake up here on campus, or...? Let’s make sure we’re on the same page real quick!

Taichi had no objections to this, so he readily agreed.

First off, let’s go over the information we left with. So, we were told «The Third»’s group hatched a plan to cram half the school inside an ‘Isolation Zone’ for some kind of experiment.

«The Third» and its posse («The Second» and «The Fourth») were all of the same species as «Heartseed». They had arrived in the real world in order to conduct some sort of large-scale experiment—so large, it required both prep work and a test run.

Yeah. Supposedly they knew they were going to have to prep for a massive Record Wipe either way, so they wanted to go all-out with something really ‘entertaining’ first.

Due to the sheer quantity of «Heartseed»-related memories the CRC had stored up, it would take a great deal of time and effort to erase those records from each individual member. Hence, they were essentially trying to get the most bang for their buck.

Then Yukina-chan and some other track team girls got hit with the body-swap while some first-year boys were cursed with the Liberation... and then Misaki-chan lost her memories, possibly due to an emergency shutdown, Nagase recounted carefully.

Indeed, victims of an active phenomenon could potentially be subject to what was known as an emergency shutdown. If word of the phenomenon began to spread, and/or if a significant societal scandal resulted, and/or if any of the participants suffered a mental breakdown—in other words, circumstances deemed too risky to proceed, lest repairing them prove complicated later on—the «Heartseed» in charge would initiate the emergency shutdown process. This process would potentially erase all memories pertaining to the subject’s fellow phenomenon victims.

But our objective here is to prevent any more of those emergency shutdowns, Taichi stated firmly.

"Come to think of it, how are our memories doing?"

I can still remember a bunch of stuff, so I think I’m fine... probably. I can’t think of anything I’m forgetting.

That said, once those memories were erased, he wouldn’t even know they were gone in the first place. However, as far as he knew, they would be safe from the Record Wipe for the full duration of the Isolation Zone experiment.

Now, about the Isolation Zone itself. According to all the rumors...

—Taken away somewhere.

—Unable to escape.

—Phenomena.

—Lasting several days.

It was terrifying to imagine, let alone experience, all of these things combined.

We have no idea how complicated this is gonna get, which is why we asked «Heartseed» to send us in here in the first place—so we could protect everyone. The last thing I remember is... all seven of us, together at Yamaboshi at night. That’s when we made the decision to come here, Nagase recalled.

Yeah, and then «Heartseed» was like ‘Let’s get going’ or something... and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground outside the school building, Taichi nodded.

"You were on the ground? I was just standing."

But you were alone, right?

Yeah. I couldn’t see any of the others nearby. So then I started walking around, and that’s when I spotted you.

In that case, maybe the others are somewhere nearby. We should look for them.

And so Taichi and Nagase moved away from the school building. Starting at the east end of the athletic field, they decided they would work their way all the way around to the opposite side.

The air felt... somewhat cold, but not especially. Above them, a dark sheet of clouds covered the sky, except for one small hole through which they could see the full moon shining brightly. The field was awfully dark, but the light from the school building and neighboring offices helped them feel their way forward.

"This is the Isolation Zone, right?" Nagase asked, after a few minutes of walking.

I think so... assuming «Heartseed» didn’t screw up, at least.

It was just a feeling he had; there was nothing concrete he could point to as proof.

"I mean, it really feels like we’ve gone to a different world, but... Wait a minute! Hastily, Nagase started digging in her pockets. Our cell phones! Duh!"

Oh, right, Taichi muttered. How could he have forgotten this essential piece of modern technology?

This way we can get in touch with Inaban and... Wait, what the? No service?

Same here.

All around them, the trees rustled in the wind.

"Now that I think about it, I’ve never not had service at school bef—Hey!"

Suddenly, Nagase took off running in the direction of the front gates. Perplexed, Taichi followed after her. Then, as he came within just five meters from the gate, he caught up to her, and together they ran side by side.

What’s the matter?

Our school’s situated on a pretty busy street. Day or night, there’s always the occasional car passing by. So why does it feel like the road’s deserted?

Good point. That definitely wasn’t normal. Maybe we should step out real quick and see if we can get any service.

He checked his phone again, but it still didn’t have any bars.

Yeah, maybe... There’s at least a chance Inaban and the others are out there, right?

Right. Let’s find them so we can formulate a plan.

Yeah! We came here to help everyone, and by golly, we’re gonna!

Pause.

...So, uh...

...Um...

They both took a deep breath and asked in unison:

"Why haven’t we reached the gates yet?"

They could only get so close to the edge of campus before they found themselves unable to make progress. Their feet were still moving, and it physically felt like they were getting closer... and yet they didn’t.

This space was isolated from the outside world, and there was no hope of leaving.

Haah... haah... I guess... no amount of running... will do us any good...

At last, Nagase threw in the towel and dropped to the ground. As for Taichi, he had given up much sooner than she had.

They were now face to face with the fact that this world was not normal. Perhaps it was safe to say that this was indeed the Isolation Zone.

Taichi had chosen to come here and fight of his own volition, and as such, he had no regrets... but he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t a little frightened. This was «The Third»’s little dollhouse, and anything could happen. It was possible they were being watched right that very moment.

Regardless, he had no intention of giving up the fight.

We need to find them, fast.

Yeah, Nagase agreed.

They started walking, keeping their eyes peeled as they moved across campus, cutting across the athletic field from east to west.

And yet... there was still no sign of anyone else.

They’re nowhere...

Maybe we should try calling their names? Or... on second thought, maybe not, Nagase murmured nervously.

Let’s keep a low profile for a little longer, Taichi suggested.

Together, they forged a path through the dark, vast wasteland. This would be unthinkable alone, but as long as they had each other, they had the strength to carry on. Unfortunately, with five pieces of their heptagon still missing, their light was yet dim...

Psst! Hey, Nagase! I see people! Taichi hissed, pointing in the distance at the shifting shadows.

What? Oh wow, you’re right! How many are there? One, two, three, four...

Maybe it’s the rest of the club! Let’s go see.

And so, with high hopes, they took off running in the direction of the group. However, they soon realized these other people were not in fact the rest of the CRC, but rather—

Whoa, it’s Iori! Oh, and Yaegashi-kun!

N-Nakayama-chan?!

Nagase’s good friend from Class 2-B, Nakayama Mariko, came bouncing over. With her high pigtails, she looked like a bunny rabbit.

Oh my godddd, Ioriiii!

Nakayama-chan!

The two shared a tight hug.

"Boy, am I glad to see you! But at the same time, I’m kinda not glad! You really shouldn’t be here right now. Everybody’s going crazy!"

Yeah, I know. What about you? Are you okay?

"I’m fine, but the school sure as heck isn’t! One minute it gets all dark, and then the next thing I know, everything’s all weird! And our phones aren’t getting any service!"

As it turned out, Taichi and Nagase weren’t the only two people trapped in this world. For a moment, this came as a relief... but at the same time, it was devastating. These people were victims, trapped inside against their will.

And you can’t leave, either. I just tried. No luck! another voice called from behind Nakayama. Guess we really are stuck in here... You know, it kinda feels like we’ve been teleported to a different world and can’t get home...

It was Setouchi Kaoru, president of Class 2-B, her expression dubious. As she tilted her head, her short hair swayed, and the light glinted off her cartilage piercings.

Kaoru-chan, too? Is everyone here someone we’re close to...? Nagase whispered fretfully.

Huh? What was that? Setouchi asked.

Nagase pursed her lips together and shook her head. It’s nothing.

But she wasn’t the only one starting to feel guilty about the CRC’s role in this. Taichi felt it, too.

Are you guys with them? Taichi asked, pointing to the two guys a short distance away.

Gahhh! It won’t work! Damn it! shouted Watase Shingo, another classmate in 2-B. He looked like he was trying to run to the fence, but he stopped short and turned back. Oh hey, it’s Yaegashi and Nagase. Didn’t know you two were together. The spiky-haired prettyboy(?) of the soccer team heaved a big sigh. "Well, don’t get your hopes up. Not even I’ve managed to get out."

It doesn’t look like Yaegashi’s worried about that.

Next to Watase was Ishikawa Daiki, yet another classmate in 2-B. With his calm, composed demeanor, large build, and close-cropped hair, he was the very picture of a stoic Japanese warrior. And yet, believe it or not, he was currently in a relationship with bright and bubbly Nakayama Mariko.

The four of them were all wearing winter coats over their school uniforms.

Huh? What’s wrong, you two? You don’t seem too thrilled, Watase commented.

Oh... Sorry...

Of course they’re not going to be thrilled, Watase-kun! Think about where we are! Setouchi retorted, possibly because she could tell Taichi was off his game.

Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Madam President.

Don’t worry about us. Anyway, what’s been going on? Taichi asked.

What do you mean? asked Setouchi.

What’s been going on with the school? And where are the others? Tell us everything you know! Nagase chimed in, pleading with her hands clasped together.

"Uhhh... I mean... where have you been, Iori? What have you been doing for the past three hours since we all got here?" asked Nakayama.

At this, Taichi pulled out his cell phone to check the time: 7:30 PM. But back in the real world, when they departed for the Isolation Zone, it was already way later than that. Clearly «Heartseed» wasn’t joking when it told them time passed differently in here. No point in trying to do the math.

Well... uh... we showed up late, I guess you could say, Nagase stammered.

We can’t expect everyone to have had the exact same experience we did, Ishikawa told the others. All in all, he was a rather thoughtful and understanding guy.

Okay then, I’ll give you the rundown, said Watase. "One minute I was at home, and the next, I was back at school again, in the middle of the night, in my uniform. And apparently I didn’t walk here... Real talk, this whole world feels different somehow. It’s a total mystery. Anyway, there are a lot of other people around, and their stories are all pretty similar... Wait, do you care about that part?"

Go ahead and tell us the whole story. Please.

"You’re really serious about this, huh? Well, anyway. None of our phones can get any service, and something... supernatural... is keeping us from being able to leave campus, so... nobody really knows what to do."

"There are a lot of people here, too. Dozens of them. Maybe even a hundred," Setouchi mused.

Taichi swallowed hard.

Even Nakayama frowned. "Yeah, this is a total tire fire... But y’know, it’s weird how accurate those rumors were!"

Indeed, back in the real world, Yamaboshi High School was rife with rumors about the Isolation Zone.

Looking back, you’re right, Ishikawa nodded casually. Likewise, Nakayama only seemed mildly perplexed. Both of them were completely under-reacting—proof that they were hypnotized. Otherwise they would surely be panicking right about now.

Watase let out an aggrieved sigh and continued, Anyway, everyone wants to get home ASAP, so we’ve all been trying to figure something out.

Hence, we’ve been doing everything we can think of, Ishikawa chimed in.

Gotcha. So what’s everyone else up to? We haven’t seen anyone except you guys. Are they panicking?

Watase’s group seemed relatively calm and collected, but Taichi was concerned about the rest.

It’s a mixed bag. Some people are just sitting around. Others are attempting to leave campus. But no one’s all that panicked about it. Why would they be?

Because... they’re trapped in a strange place...?

"It’s not that strange, is it? It’s just Yamaboshi. People are forced to take shelter in public places for all sorts of reasons—heavy storms, for example. I think you’re taking this a bit too seriously, Yaegashi."

Apparently, to Ishikawa and the others, this situation was on par with a typhoon warning.

But obviously some groups are more panicky than others, Nakayama cut in.

What do you mean? Nagase asked.

Nakayama furrowed her brow dubiously. "I mean, like... depending on the phenomenon you got stuck with, you might be freaking out a lot, right? That’s why we’ve all split off into groups with other people who have the same phenomenon."

With this statement, plus all the rumors and everything else that had happened thus far, it was suddenly very clear what was going on in the Isolation Zone. This was what «The Third»’s group had been prepping for all this time.

So what phenomenon do you guys have? Taichi asked.

Their answer: We’re not... entirely sure yet.

Question: dodged.

After exchanging a bit more information, the two groups went their separate ways; Taichi and Nagase left to search for the rest of the CRC, while Nakayama’s group went back to testing potential ways to escape Yamaboshi.

Now then, I think it’s time— Taichi began.

—to find our friends! Nagase finished enthusiastically, although it felt a bit forced.

Nakayama’s group had told them there were more people inside the school building, so that was where they headed.

Well, the lights are on in there, so it makes sense that that’s where they went. Plus, running water and plumbing, y’know.

Although they had no way of contacting the outside world, they had everything they needed to survive, according to Nakayama and the others. On one hand, this was good news... but on the other hand, it kind of felt like «The Third» was planning to keep them as pets.

After a brief stint of walking, they came across another group—five female students hanging out near the pool on the west side of campus. They were all fellow second-years that Taichi had met previously; he seemed to remember them being classmates with Inaba and Aoki.

Ugh... Still no freakin’ cell service!

I was at home! Why am I back here? Are we seriously stuck here for the night?

Kinda seems that way, yeah.

Oh my godddd... But I didn’t set my TV to record my shows... I hope my mom remembers to do it for me...

Uggghhh... Why us...? This sucks!

From the way they talked, one would think they’d simply missed their train home. They would have been justified in having a total mental breakdown, and yet they had accepted their circumstances with a shrug.

Hey guys, uh... how’s it going? Nagase called out.

Hi there, Nagase-san. And Yaegashi-kun.

Oh, heyyyy! Didn’t know you guys were here!

The girls greeted them warmly, which came as a relief.

We’re looking for Inaba and Kiriyama and Aoki. Have you seen them around? Taichi asked them.

Hmmm... I don’t think so...

The Cultural Research Club all ended up in the same group, huh?

Yeah, y’know, more or less, Nagase replied vaguely.

Seems like everybody’s been grouped with their closest friends, so it makes sense. Seriously, get a load of this! You wanna hear about our phenomenon? We—

Suddenly, all five girls froze perfectly still. There was an unnatural pause. And then they came to life once more.

Wait, what the...? Where’s Mao?

She’s gone! Where did she go?

When did she wander off?

She was just here a minute ago...

Four of the girls started to look around.

But Taichi and Nagase could only stare in disbelief.

Because the fifth girl, a tall girl by the name of Mao, was standing right there. But the other four were acting like they couldn’t see her.

"W-Wait a minute... Guys, I’m right here! Hello? Look at me! I’m right here!" she pleaded, trembling.

"I told her we need to stay together as a group."

I’M RIGHT HERE! Mao shouted, grabbing at the other girl’s clothes.

Taichi couldn’t take it anymore. Look right in front of you.

But the girl simply stared blankly. What am I supposed to be looking at?

She seemingly had no idea that her friend was grabbing her and screaming.

Mao stumbled backwards a few steps, then turned to Taichi and Nagase.

"Hey... Can you see me? I’m right here, aren’t I?"

She looked like she was on the verge of tears, so Nagase ran over to her. Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay.

"Yeah, I know. I know the rules. I don’t know how I know them, but I do... One person ‘disappears’ from the rest of the group, and while you’re invisible, everyone else suddenly forgets how the phenomenon works..."

Oh, I get it now.

As far as Taichi could tell, this was some kind of spontaneous ghost phenomenon, where one member would be essentially blocked off from the rest of the group. And if the other members couldn’t remember the rules, that would explain why they thought the victim had simply wandered off. Meanwhile, the victim could only watch helplessly as they were erased from perception.

Why are you both muttering to yourselves? one of the girls asked suspiciously.

Oh, it’s nothing, said Taichi.

Don’t worry about it, said Nagase.

You know, it really feels like Mao has trouble following instructions sometimes, one of the others commented.

Totally. She’s so free-spirited... but at the same time, she can’t really read the room.

Sometimes I really wish she’d stop making things more difficult for the rest of us.

Especially during a time like this! God, she can be so annoying.

The conversation was starting to take a nasty turn, so Taichi decided to try to set things back on track.

Well, this is a really stressful time for everyone. Maybe something came up, you know?

"Something conveniently just ‘came